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GSA Awards DOT Lease at Southeast Federal Center

WASHINGTON, D.C. --The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) today announced that it has awarded a lease to JBG/SEFC Ventures, LLC of Washington, D.C. to build a new Department of Transportation headquarters at the Southeast Federal Center.

The new, 1.35-million-square-foot facility will be built on 11 acres at New Jersey Avenue and M Street, SE, under the terms of the competition. GSA will convey the land to JBG.

It will be designed by international, award-winning architect Michael Graves of Princeton, N.J. Mr. Graves is known in Washington, D.C., for his work on the reconstruction and renovation of the Washington Monument and for designing the 1.1 million-square-foot International Finance Corp. headquarters, 2121 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.

"This project will provide a high quality headquarters for the Department of Transportation, at the best value to the government and taxpayers," said Donald Williams, GSA Regional Administrator, National Capital Region. "It also will spur development of GSA's 55-acre Southeast Federal Center."

The lease, with option to purchase, is for 15 years. Its award marks the culmination of a robust and full competition. Planning efforts have been under way for a decade, and Congress directed the lease procurement in 1998 following authorization in 1997.

In accordance, GSA issued a Solicitation for Offerors (SFO) in 1999. GSA received 12 proposals in response and identified five to compete in the second phase of the procurement. During the procurement process, GSA sought input through two public hearings and from interested agencies and organizations, including the National Capital Planning Commission, pertinent Advisory Neighborhood Commissions and the D.C. Office of Planning. JBG's offer had the highest technical rating as well as the lowest price.

The JBG was identified as the preferred alternative in the Final Environmental Impact Statement last July. Following a final round of public comment on this document, GSA issued a Record of Decision today, designating the preferred alternative as JBG.

GSA is a centralized federal procurement and property management agency created by Congress to improve government efficiency and help federal agencies better serve the public. It acquires, on behalf of federal agencies, office space, equipment, telecommunications, information technology, supplies and services. GSA, comprised of 14,000 associates, provides services and solutions for the office operations of over 1 million federal workers located in 8,300 government -owned and leased buildings in 1,600 U.S. communities.